CHAPTER NINETEEN

     Later the same day, Dr. Howl called everybody at the

institute together again to terrorize them. “You people have

failed. There are going to be some changes around here,

starting today,” he declared.

     “What happened to Mack and Frank?” asked a staff

member.

     “They're gone. Any time you lose a full van load of

dogs, you're toast,” confirmed the doctor. “I do have some

good news. Mack and Frank caught one of the Blue Collar

dogs.”

     “All right,” responded the staff enthusiastically.

     “I have some plans for him,” said Dr. Howl with a big

grin on his face. “Now get back to the Canine Triangle.”

     That same afternoon the Blue Collar Gang had just

finished herding the five rescued dogs into the rear yard of

Kate’s Second Life Rescue Home. There was general

excitement about pulling off a big raid, and as each Blue

Collar gang member returned, they were congratulated. But

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that subsided when Gibraltar realized that Astro was

missing. “Where's Astro?” asked Gibraltar with alarm.

     All the dogs started looking around. But Astro is

nowhere to be found. “He was right behind me,” claimed

Duke.

     Wiley was completely exhausted, so Buster took

command. “Bouncer and I will find him,” said Buster, and

the two dogs left the yard.

     At that moment, Kate came out of the house and saw

the mass of dogs, but she didn’t see Maggie. Kate spotted

Wiley lying on the grass. She stared down at him. “You

look beat,” she said. Then she asked Wiley, “Where's

Maggie? I haven't seen her all day. I thought she was with

you.”

     Wiley was horrified. He got to his feet and began to

search all around the yard, but no Maggie. Catching up to

Gibraltar, Wiley said with alarm, “Maggie's missing. I'm

going out to look for her. You and Duke return to the

hideout and stay on guard.”

     Kate watched as Wiley left, then turned her attention

to the new arrivals and said to herself, “That’s all I need,

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five more abandoned dogs.”

     Later in the day, Gibraltar and Duke were back at the

hideout when Buster and Bouncer returned. “Where's

Astro?” they asked.

     Buster and Bouncer just shook their heads sadly. “No

sign of him,” said Buster.

     “I'm afraid Dr. Howl captured him.” responded a

downhearted Bouncer as he collapsed on the ground.

    Then Wiley returned to the hideout. Depressed, with

his head held low, he shared more bad news with the gang

members.

     “Maggie's missing,” said a crestfallen Wiley.

     “So is Astro,” said Buster.

     “Dr. Howl has them,” murmured the rest of the gang.

     “We have to rescue them,” insisted Duke. “There is

no time to waste.”

     Back at the New Life Rescue Home, a very worried

Kate was on the phone talking with Jan. “Jan, things are out

of hand. I can’t believe it. Maggie’s missing. And to top it

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off, the Blue Collar dogs just herded five more abandoned

dogs into my back yard.”

     “Maggie’s missing! Oh no, that can’t be,” Jan said

sadly.

     “I can't find her. I thought she was with the Blue

collar gang or the dog that appears to be their leader, but

she wasn't. I have to look for her. I can't lose Maggie.”

     “I’ll be right over and take care of the new dogs,” said

Jan. “You search for Maggie.”

     “Thanks, Jan,” said Kate gratefully.

     Early the next morning, a van pulled to a stop on a

side street. Two dog catchers got out and went around to

the rear of the van and opened a door. They took a semidrugged

dog out and shoved it to the ground. The dog was

Astro and he just laid there as the men returned to the van

and drove off.

     Back at the institute, Dr. Howl was in an upbeat mood

as he intently watched a monitor screen with a number of

staff members. “That mongrel is starting to move. He's

going to lead us right to that pack of old misfits,” declared

a rejuvenated Doctor Howl.

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     We're getting a great signal from the chip you

inserted,” said an excited staff member.

     Dr. Howl grabbed a portable monitor and headed for

the exit shouting. “Follow me. No dog escapes from my

institute. I want everyone in the field helping capture these

escapees.”

     It was mid-morning. The gang had gathered in the

rear yard of the hideout, trying to figure their next move.

They knew that they had a number of problems and sensed

that time was running out. “Kate's not happy with us. Her

Maggie is lost, she’s up to ears with abandoned dogs, and

can’t afford to feed us much longer,” explained an anxious

Wiley.

     “She would be a lot happier if we rescued Maggie,”

added Gibraltar.

     Bouncer noticed something bumping against the alley

fence. He ran over to check it out. As he neared the rear

entrance to the hideout, he came nose to nose with Astro.

“Astro?” questioned Bouncer with amazement.

     The Blue Collar gang quickly ran over to Astro as he

entered the yard, elated to have him back. “Hey, man, you

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scared us. Where you been?” members of the gang asked

excitedly. Astro tried to answer but was woozy and swayed

back and fourth. Finally, he slowly collapsed to the ground.

The gang backed away giving him room. Wiley and Buster

stepped forward and examined Astro from head to tail.

     Wiley’s good sense of smell picked up an odor that

recognized. “I smell Doctor Howl,” he said shaking his

head.

     “And I smell drugs,” added Buster.

     Wiley asked, “What happened, Astro? Do you

remember anything?”

     “I don’t know. I have been in a haze. Everything is a

blur,” muttered Astro. “The last thing I remember is

something piercing my chest and a sharp pain.”

     “A tranquilizer dart,” said Buster in disgust.

     Suddenly, Wiley's head snapped up and his big ears

pivoted toward the front of the house. He motioned for

everybody to be quiet, intently listening for a few seconds,

then giving Buster a nod.

     “We have been discovered and are going to be

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attacked,” announced Buster. “Everyone to the basement.

Bouncer, you and Duke help Astro. Move out.” The gang

entered the back door of the old house and filed down the

stairs into the dark basement.

     Outside Dr. Howl and his posse of institute workers

had surrounded the Blue Collar Gang’s hide-out. They

were all in position to attack and were just waiting for the

order from Dr. Howl, who had confirmed Astro’s position

on his monitor. “I want every last one of them,” Dr. Howl

demanded. Then he threw his hands in the air signaling

attack as his team charged into the rear yard of the old

house.

     “This is the end of the Blue Collar Gang,” cried the

institute’s workers.

     They were armed with ropes, tranquilizer guns and

spraying gear, but the yard was completely vacant. Dr.

Howl glanced at his monitor and pointed to the rear door of

the old house. “They’re in the house,” he shouted. They

stormed into the house and down into the basement, but

ended up just staring at each other. No Blue Collar gang. “I

can't believe it,” screamed Dr. Howl. “Where's the flea

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bitten dog with the chip? What happened?”

     “I don’t know, sir,” said the technician carrying the

portable monitor. “The dog was right here on the screen

and then it went blank.”

     One of the search party spotted a small hole in the

basement wall behind an old beat up sofa. “Over here.

Look. There's a tunnel,” he shouted.

     “Turn the attack dogs loose,” ordered Dr. Howl. The

handler of the attack dogs ordered them down the tunnel

while Dr. Howl and his posse stood in the dark basement

flat-footed.

     Meanwhile, the Blue Collar gang was making their

way single file through a narrow dark tunnel, stepping

around old whiskey and wine bottles and other debris.

Gibraltar was leading the gang. Buster was next, followed

by Wiley. Duke and Bouncer were helping Astro stay on

his feet.

     “Dr. Howl drugged Astro and followed him to our

hideout,” said Wiley.

     “Astro’s still out of it. If Gibraltar hadn't found this

tunnel, we would be in big trouble,” conceded Buster.

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     Wiley agreed. “When you're at war, you must have an

exit strategy,” he said.

     Bouncer and Duke were working hard to keep Astro

on his feet and moving. “Smells like a distillery,” said

Bouncer coughing.

     “I think this was an escape tunnel for bootleggers,

back in prohibition,” suggested Duke.

     Wiley called out to Gibraltar. “Gibraltar, where does

this tunnel end?”

     “An old garage next door,” answered Gibraltar.

     Again Wiley's big ears shot up. “Stop,” he shouted.

The Blue Collar gang froze in place and listened to the

barking of the attack dogs in the tunnel.

     “Move out,” commanded Buster.

     While Dr. Howl and his men stood around in the back

yard of the hideout, next door the Blue Collar gang popped

one by one through some old boards in the corner of a

dusty, dirty garage. They all caught their breath and shook

out the dust and cobwebs from the tunnel. Buster noticed

an old oil drum and began to push it over to the tunnel’s

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exit. “I could use help,” he requested.

     All the dogs quickly pitched in rolling the old barrel

over to block the tunnels’ exit, none too soon as the attack

dogs ran into a dead-end.

     “We have to keep moving. If get separated, we'll meet

up at Kate's,” directed Wiley.

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